A closing salvo of fast laps saw Fabio Quartararo, Jack Miller and Johann Zarco in quick succession take over top spot, but it was the latter’s 1m57.767s – a new lap record at Silverstone – which stood for the Frenchman’s second pole of 2022.
Drama struck Espargaro before qualifying got underway when he suffered a 115mph crash at Farm Curve during FP4.
The Aprilia rider was taken to the medical centre for checks having been stretchered off-track, but was soon declared fit to ride despite suffering some bruising to his right foot.
His initial run put him last in the Q2 group in 12th with a lap 1.6s off the pace, but he returned to pitlane for fresh rubber and saw out the session.
Pramac’s Jorge Martin laid down the gauntlet on his opening time attack lap with a 1m58.377s, was his team-mate Johann Zarco slotted in behind 0.053 seconds adrift.
Championship leader Quartararo took over moments later with a 1m58.259s to lead the field over MotoGP’s longest lap by just 0.001s as Jack Miller on the factory Ducati shadowed him.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
On his second run, Espargaro began to light up the timing screens and produced the first new lap record of the day with a 1m57.966s to take provisional pole.
His heroics would not be rewarded with a front row start, however, as he found himself shuffled back to a still honourable sixth.
Quartararo briefly went pole with a 1m57.938s, before Miller – shadowing the Yamaha rider – snatched it away with a 1m57.931s.
But it was the 1m57.767s from Zarco which won qualifying Saturday at Silverstone, the Frenchman just 0.098s clear of the sister Aprilia of Maverick Vinales after a later surge from the 2016 British GP winner.
Quartararo ultimately found himself shuffled off the front row into fourth come the final reckoning, which will complicate his strategy for the race when he has to serve a long lap penalty for a collision with Aleix Espargaro at Assen in June before the summer break.
Francesco Bagnaia completed the top five on the sister factory team Ducati ahead of Espargaro, with Marco Bezzecchi seventh on his VR46 Ducati having come through the Q1 session.
He headed Q1 pacesetter Enea Bastianini by 0.005s in eighth, with the Gresini Ducati rider outqualifying Martin, Luca Marini on the sister VR46 bike and Suzuki duo Alex Rins and Joan Mir.
Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
A tense end to…
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